Featured Article — Windows Professional Toss out that JetDirect software
HP’s JetDirect products enable a printer to connect directly to a network rather than being connected to a computer. This eliminates the need for a dedicated print server, and also helps avoid the problem of a user turning off his computer, which naturally prevents other users from printing to his shared printer.
In the past, you generally needed to use HP’s JetAdmin software to manage the printer. The software enabled the computer to capture the printer, and then you shared the printer from that computer. Other computers then printed to the network printer by printing to its share point on the computer where the Admin software resided.
With the addition of a standard TCP port monitor in Windows 2000, you no longer need the JetAdmin software to print to a JetDirect printer. Instead, you can simply configure the print driver to print through the port monitor. To set up the printer, run the Add Printer wizard. Select Local Printer and clear the automatic detection check box, and then click Next. When prompted for the printer port, select Create a New Port, select Standard TCP/IP Port from the drop-down list, and click Next. This starts the TCP/IP Printer Port wizard.
In the wizard, specify the host name of the printer if it has a host record in the DNS zone, or simply enter the IP address for the printer. The wizard builds the port name from the host name or address. Follow the remaining prompts to add the printer, selecting the appropriate print driver. If you want others to be able to print to the printer without adding a TCP/IP port, simply share the printer you just added. Others can then print to the printer through your computer. |
